send nominations lloyd james austin of georgia to be secretary. >> under the previous order there'll be 1010 minutes of debate equally divided in the usual forum. >> mr. president? >> the senate from rhode island. >> it's a my understanding chairman emhoff -- and hop is en route to provide his comments and i did want to begin by thanking him for his tremendous leadership. mr. reed: in order to expedite the vote, let me proceed. mr. president, i rise to express mr. president, i rise to express >> mr. president i rise to express my support for the confirmation of lloyd austin to be the secretary defense of the united states. general austin has an exceptionally qualified with a longer in the u.s. military's served in the highest excellence of the army as the commander of u.s. central command. his character and integrity are unquestioned and he possesses the knowledge andls skills to effectively lead the pentagon. the united states faces many complex security threats but if confirmed as the secretary of defense general austin will we the department during a time when you strategic priori

senate showed near full support for the retired general lloyd austin, who will be heading off to the pentagon as secretary of defense. charli james the details. >> see you around campus. reporter: lloyd austin arrives at the pentagon for his first day as america secretary of defense. the former army general was confirmed by the u.s. senate in a near unanimous vote. a bipartisan decision that made history. sen. schumer: he will be the first african-american to ever helm the defense department in its history, a powerful symbol of the diversity and history of america's armed forces. reporter: he was approved despite concerns he had not been out of uniform for the legally mandated seven year period. he was granted a congressional waiver to get around the law. during his 41 your military career, he rose through the elite ranks, breaking several racial barriers in the process. president joe biden nominated him to restore stability across the defense department, which went through six leaders during the trump administration. austin said he will also emphasize inclusivity. >> we owe people a working environmentree of discrimination, hate

lloyd austin. excuse me, secretary of defense lloyd austin. the recently retired general will require a waiver and could space opposition from lawmakers about eroding civilian control. they requested a waiver under jamesunder president trump will feel pressure to be consistent. we're seeing arguments forming to support biden's nominee. the chairman of the house armed services committee tweeting his support an also on twitter senator chris murphy explaining why he voted no for mattis but plans to vote yes for lloyd austin, neil. neil: a little inconsistent there. thank you, very much, jacqui heinrich on capitol hill. when we come back we're still waiting to see the talk of the president issuing a lot of pardons, maybe up to 100, maybe more today. we don't know whether he will do them in one fell swoop, or announced or released. these always get a good deal of attention tomorrow as well. who can forget marc rich and the big pardon of that big financeer on bill clinton's final days before jetting off as a private citizen a lot to wait on after this. voya doesn't just help me get to retirement... ...they're with me all the way through it. voya. be confident to and through retirement. metastatic breast can

lloyd austin be president biden's defense secretary. the law requires former military wait seven years after active duty before taking the job. in 2017, congress ok'd a waiver for retired general james mattis to be defense secretary in the trump

lloyd austin be president biden's defense secretary. current law requires that former military wait seven years after active duty before taking the job. a waiver was given for james mattis to be president trump's defense secretary. congress needs to pass a waiver for retired general austin. and by the way, the senate armed services committee approved the nomination earlier, the house will take up that waiver debate and vote coming up. they gavel in at 2:00 eastern, live here on c-span. >> you're watching c-span -- your unfiltered view of government. c-span was created by america's cable television companies in 1979. today, we're brought to you by these television companies who provide c-span to viewers as a public service. >> saturday, on "the communicators" sarah friers' book chronicles instagram. sarah: instagram reflects all of the celebrities around the world as well, right, and all of the brands, you know. c-span, i'm sure has an instagram. bloomberg has an instagram. it's all of these accounts that are doing instagram. these are these home-grown people. these people who otherwise maybe wouldn't have a voice who are building these audiences without having to

the clerk: nomination, department of defense, lloyd james austin of georgia to be secretary. presiding officer: under the previous order, there will be ten minutes of debate equally divided in the usual form. mr. reed: mr. president. the presiding officer: the senator from rhode island. mr. reed: mr. president, it is my understanding that chairman inhofe is en route to provide his comments, and i want to begin by thanking him for his tremendous leadership. without his dedication to a bipartisan, thoughtful process, we would not be here today. it is the hallmark of his leadership throughout the year as we have served together. i anticipate his arrival, but -- the presiding officer: duly noted. mr. reed: in order to expedite the vote, let me proceed. mr. president, i rise to express my support for the confirmation of lloyd austin to be the secretary of the senate of the united states. general austin is an exceptionally qualified leader with a long and distinguished career in the united states military. he has served at the highest echelons of the army, capped his service as the

lloyd austin be president biden's defense secretary. the law requires former military wait seven years after active duty before taking the job. in 2017, congress ok'd a waiver for retired general james mattis to be defense secretary in the trump administration. meanwhile the senate armed services committee today approved by voice vote both the waiver and general austin's nomination. now live to the house floor on c-span. the speaker: the house will be in order. the prayer will be offered by our chaplain, chaplain kibben. chaplain margaret kibben: would you pray with me. almighty god, on this first full day of a new administration, we offer our heartfelt prayers for the leaders of this country and for the future of our nation. may they and we humble ourselves before you and call upon your name. may they and each of us seek your face in our midst as we lift up our hearts to you. as a people, we confess the malice of our ways, hear us in your heaven. forgive our sin and heal our land. consecrate this house that your name may abide with us forever. open your eyes to us and may your ears be attentive to our prayer. for we pray in the strength of your holy name. amen. the speaker: pursuan